I was a perfect student: I got good grades, I listened to my teachers, I gave them what I knew they wanted. It wasn't until college, when I subtlely asked the prof how he wanted me to end my essay, that I was told to think for myself. He told me, "I'm not going to tell you. You need to write the paper to figure that out." I was 20 years old.
It took me years to actually figure out what I wanted, to think for myself, to follow my educational path. I would like to teach, encourage, and allow my own students to struggle with their own agency, not give them all the answers.
My inspiration comes from the lack of agency in my own life and the incredibly agency in the lives of my children. They are different from each other, but each follows his own educational path. My oldest is eclectic. During high school homeschooling, he followed all his many interests: mock trial, robotics, competitive soccer, chess, speech competitions, economics. His brother dives deeply into a passion. It was ballet, now it is film-making. He uses his homeschooling time to make connections and gain experience: editing for a KPBS web series, running camera for a variety television show, submitting projects to film festivals, competing in film competitions, producing his own documentaries and narrative films.
All humans need Agency over their lives. As teachers and parents, we can give the opportunities to develop these skills to our students and our children so they are empowered to follow their paths.
